garyo
Well-Known Member
Last night Gary and I stopped by Tractor Supply to pick up some dog food and a couple dog pillows. Anyway, while we were checking out, the couple in front of us was purchasing some horse feed and a halter. The lady began to show the cashier pictures on her cell phone and speak about a foal they were going to rescue. The man had been out on an appliance service call earlier in the day and discovered four horses, two of which were very thin. The owners said they belonged to their son and he had moved. They had no interest in caring for the horses and were leaving the country in the next day. A relative was supposed to stop by and care for the horses "occasionally". The lady showed me a picture of a foal who looked like black fuzz over ribs and hip bones. The couple said they wanted to go get him that night but didn't have a trailer. Well the cashier and the manager know us well and they immediately turned to us and said, "You have horses, you have a trailer don't you?". We agreed to go home and meet the couple back there in a half hour. We followed the couple to a beautiful estate with a mediterranian style home, big barn and a round bale of cow hay next to the fence. We discovered four horses near the bale. There was a large stallion who seemed fit and healthy, a thin mare, an older foal who seemed a little thin, and behind the stallion where he could not get to the round bale a very very thin black foal. He was smaller than our B size driving mare in height and weight and he was supposedly four months of age. Apparently the story was that his mother had died shortly after his birth. The other mare was nursing her foal and allowed him to also nurse some. She had recently started refusing by biting him. I was able to wrap a lead rope around his neck and butt and guide him. The foal halter literally fell off his head and he had never been handled or taught to lead. He did not know how to load with or without the ramp and fell down at one point. He had to be helped up. Once in the trailer he fit comfortably into our mini-dividers in our big trailer. He looked at the orchard/alfalfa hay cautiously at first then began to eat it. Everytime we stopped during the half hour ride to the people's house he was eating. The people had a beautiful home and barn with three other well cared for horses when we arrived. He unloaded clumsily and led into a small paddock (for isolation) and headed straight to more orchard/alfalfa hay and water where he dug in.
The original owner's parents agreed for us to take the foal. Apparently they made a comment that he looked better than he had as of late. On the drive from the owner's home to the new residence the girl had apparently called several local rescue groups and arranged for them to go out and meet the people to take the other horses today. Gary and I did not get to bed until after 11 last night which is late when you get up around 5:30AM. However, we could not have felt better about helping that little guy. It was amazing to see the change in an hour or so from no spark in his eyes and barely standing to perked up ears and a lively baby whinny when I talked to him in the trailer and led him into the paddock. If we could do something every day that we felt made a difference for someone/thing like this it would be a pretty wonderful life.
The original owner's parents agreed for us to take the foal. Apparently they made a comment that he looked better than he had as of late. On the drive from the owner's home to the new residence the girl had apparently called several local rescue groups and arranged for them to go out and meet the people to take the other horses today. Gary and I did not get to bed until after 11 last night which is late when you get up around 5:30AM. However, we could not have felt better about helping that little guy. It was amazing to see the change in an hour or so from no spark in his eyes and barely standing to perked up ears and a lively baby whinny when I talked to him in the trailer and led him into the paddock. If we could do something every day that we felt made a difference for someone/thing like this it would be a pretty wonderful life.
